It's the beginning of a new year and the Internet is flush with ideas for resolutions. Diets, workout plans, productivity tips abound. I'm always on the lookout for ways to improve my routine, be it taking out head trash, working on a weakness or revisiting old or lost habits. Today I want to talk about an easy habit I'm trying to add; the 2 minute rule.
How many times throughout your day does a little task come your way? Respond to an email, clean a spill, fix a problem: these usually get put off until later and they either pile up or get forgotten. The rule that I am trying to implement is if I can check something off of my to-do list in under 2 minutes, I do it right away. If not, I shelve it until later. Simple as that
The idea is that I don't want a bunch of little tasks to tackle at the end of the day. I will knock out quick items immediately, leaving myself with more time to focus on larger, usually more important tasks.
Sometimes, these little tasks can turn into larger, more time consuming projects; a lengthy email response or a trickier problem to solve. If you find a task taking more than 2 minutes, decide if it needs doing right now. If not, save it for later.
I hope this helps you navigate your world more efficiently. It is working well for me.
Have a great day,
Jack
